Month: March 2020

Hey guys!

The work continues. We are bringing back, for its sixth year, #TheSeason. We didn’t do these first year, but have ever since. It’s something nobody else does. We compile all season records and write a wrapup for each team.

Our seventh team was randomly selected and First Coast was the team chosen out of 2A-Division 3.

FIRST COAST

You can see everything I have on the Buccaneers in 2019-20 here –>  FIRST COAST

Win/loss record: 24-18 in dual meets reported to Matmen. We were missing all results from one dual in which the Buccaneers competed. Please review the attached document for a summary of the Buccaneers’ performance in IBT events.

Season in a nutshell: First Coast began its season in traditional fashion, competing at Bishop Snyder’s North Florida Duals on December 7, in which the Buccaneers were 3-2. After nearly two weeks off the competitive mats, First Coast then finished ninth at the two-day Yulee Duals tournament on the 20th and 21st, with a 5-4 team record. A shorter-handed Buccaneer group then went to Columbia after New Year’s for the two-day Tiger Duals, going 1-6 there. The Buccaneers then lost in the 2A-District 3 quarterfinals to eventual region qualifier Lee, but then rallied at Terry Parker’s USMC Duals on the 10th and 11th of January, finishing 6-2 as a team there and placing seventh. After another two-week break, First Coast was 6-3 at the Parker Duals on the 24th and 25th. The Buccaneers wrapped up the regular season with a fifth-place finish at Gateway Conference, two midweek dual win and a T-77th team finish at the girls’ state tournament. First Coast had a midpack finish at districts (4th out of 8 teams) and finished in the top half at Region 1 (T-13th out of 32 teams) with one state qualifier. The Buccaneers went on to place T-44th at the 2A state tournament. First Coast will graduate at least four seniors with region tournament experience (or more) from this year’s team, but the Buccaneers do have as many as 11 returners from this year’s team that could back. However, only three of them had post-season experience this past season.

Key returners (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) for 2020-21 (with year in school as they’ll be next year): Trevor Studstill (16-14 at 120/126, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Jace Austin (junior, 16-21 at 132, 1 match from regions); Myles Nicco (sophomore, 12-18 at 138, 1 match from regions); Payton Landon (senior, 18-10 at 138/152, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Josiah Mossor (senior, 39-3 at 145, district champ, 1 match from states); Nicholas Smith (senior, 5-13 at 152, 1 match from regions); Tyler Heflin (senior, 17-18 at 152/160, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Cleon Johnson (senior, 15-15 at 182, 1 match from regions); Timothy King (junior, 9-9 at 182/195, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Asia Jack (junior, 2-2 at 184, 2-2 at girls’ state); Grayson Peterson (senior, 27-7 at 220, district 3rd, 1 match from states).

Graduation losses (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) from this year’s team: Ian Loschinskey (30-12 at 113, district champ, 2-2 at regions); DeVante Wyatt (43-7 at 170, district runnerup, region 3rd, 1 match from state medal); Hakeem Culberson (39-6 at 195, district champ, 1-2 at regions); Dylan Lampkin (36-11 at 285, district runnerup, 1 match from states).

2019-20 MVP: Senior DeVante Wyatt has been the, if not a, stalwart for First Coast over the past four seasons, and was finally able to qualify out for the state tournament after three earlier attempts. Wyatt won his first eight matches before taking a loss to a fellow team MVP at Tiger Duals, then won another eight row before a second loss at USMC to that same wrestler, then took a third loss to a team captain in the Gateway semifinals. Wyatt didn’t have his first loss outside of a conference opponent until the quarters at regions, his only loss at that tournament, and then went 2-2 at the state tournament, First Coast’s best finish since I started covering the area for the site. Wyatt finished with 33 pins and I’m hopeful that he’ll be wrestling at the #NextLevel in 2020-21.

2020-21 captain: Junior Josiah Mossor had already made significant strides from his freshman season a year ago, but this past year made himself into a statewide wrestler to watch at 145, running the table for his first 31 matches of the season. Included in that run were 18 pins, 24 max-point victories and unbeaten days at North Florida Duals (5-0), Yulee Duals (9-0) and USMC Duals (8-0), before taking his first loss at Parker Duals in late January. Mossor rebounded to win both Gateway and district titles, falling in successive matches matches to seniors looking for their first state appearance at regions. He’ll be one of those that should get to Kissimmee in 2021, with a good chance at podiuming there.

Zander Laurin Warrior: We had a little bit of a struggle on this one because so many kids didn’t compete in the post-season this year that had had key roles during the regular season. It’s not always the easiest for an upperclassman to come in new to this sport, particularly competing at an upper weight where often strength advantages are smaller, but junior Cleon Johnson made the transition reasonably well, competing for the first half of the season at 195, where he was 9-7 with six pins and went 5-4 as the regular starter at Yulee Duals. Johnson then dropped to 182, which had been a weight that had been shared among a couple of different kids, and he was made the starter at both Gateway and districts. By shoring up the Buccaneer lineup at a key point in the season, Cleon Johnson is the Zander Laurin Warrior for First Coast.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

The school year has come to a conclusion in Georgia. But our work has not. Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

Hey guys!

The work continues. We are bringing back, for its sixth year, #TheSeason. We didn’t do these first year, but have ever since. It’s something nobody else does. We compile all season records and write a wrapup for each team.

Our sixth team was randomly selected and University (Orange City) was the team chosen out of 3A-Division 2, and the first of our “new” teams this year.

UNIVERSITY (ORANGE CITY)

You can see everything I have on the Titans in 2019-20 here –>  UNIVERSITY (ORANGE CITY)

Win/loss record: 8-8 in dual meets. We were missing individual results from one dual in which the Titans competed. Please review the attached document for a summary of the Titans’ performance in IBT events.

Season in a nutshell: University began the year by hosting its one-day Clash of the Titans IBT on December 7, taking third out of 17 teams. Two weeks later, the Titans went to region rival Hagerty for its two-day Johnny Rouse tournament, which was all duals this year. University was 3-5 as a team at that tournament. After the holidays, the Titans took 10th out of 32 teams at region rival Lake Mary’s two-day Tournament of Champions IBT. University’s next tournament was the 3A-District 2 duals tournament, where the Titans were 3-1 and placed third as a team. Next for the University boys side was the Ed Kilpatrick IBT at Citrus, a one-day event on the 18th, where UOC placed fifth out of 19 teams. University wrapped up January and started February with an 11th-place finish at conference and district rival Flagler Palm Coast’s Flagler Rotary, a 33-team IBT, then finished third at the 5 Star Conference meet at New Smyrna Beach on February 8th. In the traditional post-season series, the Titans duplicated their third-place dual finish at the district level, placing 13th at Region 1 at Fleming Island, with one state qualifier. University was T-56th at states, with a quick exit due to injury-default. The Titan girls’ team started with a fifth-place team finish in Titans Lady IBT on December 6 and competed in two additional girls tournaments in January, with an 11th at Dr Phillips’ Lady Panther two-day IBT on January 11 and a T-8th at Cypress Creek’s Lady Bear IBT on the 18th. University then finished seventh at the girls’ state tournament, also hosted by Dr Phillips, on February 14-15, with three fifth-place finishers. While Trackwrestling is incomplete with respect to this past year’s roster and each wrestler’s year in school, we have determined that at least nine Titan wrestlers will be part of the class of 2020, with potentially eight boys returners (though there might be more) and three girls returners (again, might be more) in the 2020-21 season.

Key returners (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) for 2020-21 (with year in school as they’ll be next year) —
Boys: Grady Bryant (sophomore, 21-16 at 106, district 3rd, 2-2 at regions); Patrick King (year not noted, 9-19 at 113, 1 match from regions); Malique Hargett (year not noted, 11-21 at 120, district 4th, 1-2 at regions); Kolton Mixon (junior, 4-15 at 132/138, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Cooper Braden (junior, 4-8 at 138, district 4th, 0-2 at regions); Michael Berrios (senior, 1-16 at 145, did not compete in post-season traditionals); James Houck (senior, 19-17 at 152, district 3rd, 0-2 at regions); Aaron Liberti (senior, 19-14 at 170, district 4th, 0-2 at regions); Christian Kennick (senior, 35-8 at 220, district runnerup, region 3rd, 0-2 at states); Keenan Diaz (senior, 10-15 at 285, 1 match from regions).
Girls: Kyndall James (junior, 2-4 at 122, 2-2 at girls’ state); Alexandra Roche (year not noted, 7-8 at 122, 1-2 at girls’ state); Lauren Kaminsky (year not noted, 6-6 at 134, 5th at girls’ state).

Graduation losses (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) from this year’s team: Ashley Corujo (12-7 at 112, 5th at girls’ state); Jonathan Justice (27-14 at 126, district champ, 2-2 at regions); Alyssa Murzycki (9-8 at 128, 2-2 at girls’ state); Jenna Ross (5-6 at 128, 2-2 at girls’ state); Kaylee Hollifield (6-3 at 134, 2-0 at girls’ state); Chase McDonough (26-7 at 145, district runnerup, 1 match from states); Katlyn Gillespie (19-14 at 147, 5th at girls’ state); Kellan Flanary (17-14 at 160, district champ, 1-2 at regions); Ethan Lasher (30-11 at 195, district runnerup, 2-2 at regions).

2019-20 MVP: Junior Christian Kennick‘s state-tournament run ended more quickly than he would have hoped, but Kennick’s path to the state tournament was a tough one, with the top two 220s in the state in his region (one of them in his district). After an early loss up a weight at Johnny Rouse, Kennick won 10 matches in a row; after two losses at district duals (one up a weight, one to the eventual state runnerup), Kennick won another eight matches in a row, and didn’t lose again until it was to a 2A state placer at Flagler, with titles at Tournament of Champions (bonus-pointed through the field) and Ed Kilpatrick, with a fifth at Flagler and title at 5 Star. Prior to states, Kennick would only lose to higher-ranked wrestlers in the traditional tournament series, and took an injury-default in round 1 at states. Kennick will be favored to podium next year and is third statewide among 220s.

2020-21 captain: Next year’s Titan group is going to have several hits to its lineup, and while Kennick will certainly once again be a leader on the mats for University next year, we’ll add another senior-to-be as captain, one who seemed to relish a challenge. While we’ve got a couple of kids who could fill the bill, it seemed that junior James Houck was particularly good at rallying back from early losses in tournaments at 152. Houck ws fourth at Clash of the Titans, 2-2 at Tournament of Champsions, 3-1 at district duals, and 3-2 at Ed Kilpatrick and Flagler (where he won three matches by fall after an opening loss). Houck was fourth at 5 Star, then rallied back for third at districts after an opening loss. The Titans will need his tenacity next year.

Zander Laurin Warrior: University is a new team for us, so we’re still getting our feet wet with the Titans. Given that, we’ll look for a wrestler who pitched in to help the team out, and that’s what sophomore Kolton Mixon did, most specificly at Johnny Rouse Duals, where he made Saturday appearances two and even three weights up from his lowest weight where he’d wrestle just a couple of weeks later. Mixon also spent most of the end of January up a weight, again to fill the lineup more fully, and that is what we look for in this space. Kolton Mixon is the Zander Laurin Warrior for University (Orange City).

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia is a few weeks into its offseason! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated to reflect Williams’ correct year in school)

Hey guys!

The work continues. We are bringing back, for its sixth year, #TheSeason. We didn’t do these first year, but have ever since. It’s something nobody else does. We compile all season records and write a wrapup for each team.

Our fifth team was randomly selected and Ft Walton Beach was the team chosen out of 2A-District 1.

FT WALTON BEACH

You can see everything I have on the Vikings in 2019-20 here –>  FT WALTON BEACH

Win/loss record: 6-7 in dual meets. Please review the attached document for a summary of the Vikings’ performance in IBT events.

Season in a nutshell: The Vikings focused primarily on weekend tournaments, mostly, to prepare themselves for the post-season, beginning with a mid-pack finish (6th out of 12 teams) at Florida High’s Cam Brown Classic on December 6-7 and a 14th in the Alabama-based Swede Umbach Invitational (out of 23 teams) on the 13th and 14th before hosting Beast on the Beach, a two-day duals tournament on the 20th and 21st. There, the Vikings were eighth with a 4-5 record. After breaking for the holidays, Ft Walton Beach began January with the 2A-District 1 duals tournament on the 7th, where the Vikings won two preliminary rounds to place second and reach the Region 1 quarters. That weekend, FWB was eighth at the nine-team Southeastern Pools in Alabama. After falling in the quarters to Lincoln, the Vikings rallied with back-to-back runnerup IBT finishes at Smiths Station (ALA) and Wakulla, and then wrapped up the regular season with a mid-pack finish (13th out of 24 teams) at Lake Gibson’s Braves Invitational on February 7-8. Ft Walton Beach then followed up their runnerup district duals effort with another runnerup finish in the traditional district tournament, then jumped into the top five at Region 1, qualifying out four for states (plus two more right on the doorstep). The Vikings were T-28th at states, with one medalist. Ft Walton Beach will graduate four key starters from this year, but could return as many as 10 wrestlers to next year’s team, including one returning state qualifier.

Key returners (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) for 2020-21 (with year in school as they’ll be next year): Reid Gannon (senior, 13-25 at 106, district runnerup, 1-2 at regions); Brandon Mallin (senior, 35-17 at 120, district runnerup, region runnerup, 1-2 at states); Weston Burbidge (senior, 35-19 at 126, district 4th, 1 match from states); Darius Brundidge (sophomore, 4-21 at 132, district 4th, 0-2 at regions); Max Vosburgh (senior, 2-13 at 132, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Martin Muniz (senior, 12-18 at 138, district 3rd, 0-2 at regions); Malachi Santiago (senior, 31-18 at 145, district runnerup, 2-2 at regions); Caleb Tourgee (senior, 28-12 at 160, district runnerup, 1-2 at regions); Carter Tobik (sophomore, 10-29 at 170, 1 match from regions); Spencer Mackenzie (junior, 23-23 at 285, district 4th, 1-2 at regions).

Graduation losses (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) from this year’s team: Jean Maldonaldo (34-9 at 152, district champ, 1 match from states); Patrick Adams (34-18 at 182, district champ, region 4th, 0-2 at states); Eddie Alexis (31-17 at 195, district 3rd, region 3rd, 0-2 at states); Kaleb Williams (35-12 at 220, district runnerup, region champ, state 6th).

2019-20 MVP: Senior Kaleb Williams was the Vikings’ lone state medalist, but that was just the end result of a season that had plenty of superlatives to it. After losing his first match, Williams took six in a row to finish second at Cam Brown at 195, then — after missing Swede Umbach — competed the rest of the year at 220, starting with a 7-1 effort at Beast of the Beach. Williams bonus-pointed through district duals and then took a third at Southeastern Pools and runnerup efforts at both Smiths Station and at Wakulla. Williams then wrapped up the regular season with a fifth at Lake Gibson. After taking second at districts, Williams would win his first top-of-the-podium finish at the right time, with the Vikings’ lone region title. Williams then went 3-3 at states, with all of his losses to eventual podium finishers.

2020-21 captain: While Williams will be missed from next year’s team, the clear choice for this slot and a leadership-on-the-mat role is junior Brandon Mallin, the Vikings’ other returning 2020 state qualifier. After thirds at both Cam Brown and Swede Umbach at 120, where Mallin built what would become a 13-2 start to his season, Mallin added a fourth at Southeastern Pools and runnerup finish at Smiths Station. After a surprise loss at Wakulla early, Mallin rebounded to reach the medal round, taking fourth there and was sixth at Lake Gibson, giving him medals at every regular-season tournament. State would be the only tournament where Mallin would not place, after runnerup finishes at both the district and region levels. He’ll be in the podium mix for Kissimmee in 2021 for sure.

Zander Laurin Warrior: On this junior-dominated team, there were not many underclassmen. Freshman Darius Brundidge split time at 132 early in the season, but after Southeastern Pools he became the regular starter. Still, it was a pretty tough inaugural start, as Brundidge had — by the records I have — finished 2-17 as the regular season ended, then lost to a former state qualifier in the first round of districts. Rather than pack it in though, Brundidge picked up two bonus-point wins on the consi side of the bracket to reach the medal round and extend his season by another week, doubling his win total from the regular season. For reaching a new level at the right time, Darius Brundidge is the Zander Laurin Warrior for Ft Walton Beach.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia is a few weeks into its offseason! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

Hey guys!

The work continues. For you and for us.

We are bringing back, for its sixth year, #TheSeason. We didn’t do these first year, but have ever since. It’s something nobody else does. We compile all season records and write a wrapup for each team.

Our fourth team was randomly selected and West Nassau was the team chosen out of 1A-District 3.

WEST NASSAU

You can see everything I have on the Warriors in 2019-20 here –>  WEST NASSAU

Win/loss record: 11-18 in dual meets. Please review the attached document for a summary of the Warriors’ performance in IBT events.

Season in a nutshell: From a team standpoint, it was difficult for the Warriors, who — even with their fullest lineup possible — gave up forfeits at three weights and often gave up a few more than that. West Nassau was 3-2 at former district rival Bishop Snyder’s North Florida Duals on December 7; the following weekend, the Warriors wrestled 10 duals in two locations, going 2-3 at Oakleaf’s Friday Knight Lights on the 13th and then 3-2 at Fernandina’s Dual in the Dunes the following day. They were second at County, with a 1-1 record, and then a short-handed Warrior side was 0-5 at the Yulee Duals, competing on the varsity side in the first day of the tournament. In January, the Warriors began with a fifth-place team showing at Yulee’s Joe Bees Memorial Battle of the Border, duplicating that with a fifth at the Westside Roundrobin at former district rival Westside on the 18th. After a pair of midweek dual wins, the Warriors had nearly 10 days off before going to Wakulla’s two-day IBT, where they were sixth out of 20 teams. West Nassau wrapped up the regular season with a very short-handed group (only three wrestlers finished the night, due to flu) at Englewood, going 0-5. The Warriors came back to finish fourth at districts and 10th at Region 1, taking three to the state tournament. West Nassau loses 92 wins from this year’s team due to graduation, but could return as many as seven wrestlers with key experience in 2020-21.

Key returners (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) for 2020-21 (with year in school as they’ll be next year): Blayden Tharpe (sophomore, 26-13 at 106, district champ, 0-2 at regions); Jackson Holcomb (sophomore, 14-29 at 113, district 4th, 1 match from states); Hunter Rosepiler (sophomore, 7-10 at 126/132, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Gibreen Ahmad (sophomore, 20-25 at 145, district 3rd, 1-2 at regions); Deonte Robinson (senior, 11-14 at 170, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Conner Nobles (junior, 14-8 at 182, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Jackson Rowell (senior, 30-15 at 220, district champ, region 4th, 0-2 at states).

Graduation losses (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) from this year’s team: Brendan Ferenchik (27-5 at 120, district runnerup, did not compete at regions); Bradley Hulett (40-6 at 138, district champ, region 4th, 0-2 at states); Requan Works (25-5 at 160, district champ, region 3rd, state 6th).

2019-20 MVP: From start to finish this season, senior Bradley Hulett found a new level to his wrestling. He’d had solid seasons before, but nothing that really stood out and grabbed you. This year, however, was very different, as Hulett won 40 matches at 138, 33 of them by fall. Included in that list of pins was a season-opening 12 falls in a row to start off December, which ended with Hulett 22-0 and a County champion. He would take a loss early at Joe Bees, but rallied to finish third there, duplicating that performance at Westside a week later. The one loss he would have at Westside would be his last until regions, as Hulett would win the next 11 in a row, with titles at Wakulla (where he pinned his way through the draw) and districts (where he had two bonus-point wins). Hulett was 4-2 at regions, losing only to one wrestler (twice) and otherwise winning by fall. Getting to states was the best reward for the work that Hulett did to have a season like this in 2019-20.

2020-21 captain: Even had he not qualified out for states and even if he hadn’t won a district title, the regular season that junior Jackson Rowell compiled at 220 would probably have been enough to propel him into the captaincy nomination. Rowell had 25 wins in the regular season (finishing with 30); after a quieter start in December (4-1 at North Florida and at Dual in the Dunes), it was the way he closed out the regular season — going 10-1 between the end of the Westside roundrobin and the end of the season, with a third at Wakulla and seven straight pins at one point — that really propelled him to states. He won a district title in what the experts would have portrayed an upset (but maybe not really, the way he was wrestling) and got to the semis at Wakulla, finding one more win to get out to states, where he wrestled two kids with a combined 113 wins and a massive amount of experience. He’ll be a solid leader up top for the Warriors in 2020-21.

Zander Laurin Warrior: “Where’s Requan?” That was a question we were asked a lot in December. I knew after the second weekend. I don’t know why Requan Works wasn’t in competitive situations early on, but I knew he was there, saw him at Fernandina, clad in school gear (if not in wrestling gear), helping his young teammates, coaching, teaching, and supporting. A few weeks later, he would get on the mat, taking third at Joe Bees Memorial at 160. He’d win at Westside, go 5-0 at Englewood, and take a district title, taking third at regions (with only a one-point loss, which he would avenge at states) and claw his way back on the state podium with three consi-side wins. But, for me, he showed me everything about him at Fernandina, cheering on his freshman teammates. If he doesn’t wrestle in college, I hope to find him coaching. That’s where Requan was and who he is. That’s why Requan Works is the Zander Laurin Warrior for West Nassau.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia is a few weeks into its offseason! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

Hey guys!

The regular season is over. But the work continues. For you and for us.

We are bringing back, for its sixth year, #TheSeason. We didn’t do these first year, but have ever since. It’s something nobody else does. We compile all season records and write a wrapup for each team.

Our third team was randomly selected and St Augustine was the team chosen out of 2A-District 4.

ST AUGUSTINE

You can see everything I have on the Yellow Jackets in 2019-20 here –>  ST AUGUSTINE

Win/loss record: 11-10 in dual meets. Please review the attached document for a summary of the Yellow Jackets’ performance in IBT events.

Season in a nutshell: St Augustine began the season at district rival Matanzas’ one-day dual tournament on December 7, which had eight teams this year. The Yellow Jackets were fourth in that event; the following weekend, at Deltona, St Augustine went 2-3 at the Wolves’ one-day dual tournament. That led to a three-week hiatus after which St Augustine competed in the inaugural St Johns County roundrobin championship tournament at Creekside on January 4. The following weekend, the Yellow Jackets were 3-1 at the 2A-District 4 dual team tournament, with only an early loss to New Smyrna Beach keeping them from a shot at competing for regions. St Augustine was 3-2 at Orange Park’s midweek duals tournament on the 22nd of January, then took T-13th in their first IBT of the season at DeLand’s Bulldogs IBT on the 25th. The Yellow Jackets stayed in IBT mode each of the next two weekends afterward, placing 21st in Flagler’s two-day Rotary tournament and then T-27th at Clay’s two-day Rotary tournament. St Augustine wrapped the season with a runnerup finish at the 2A-District 4 tournament and was 17th at Region 1 at Chiles, with no state qualifiers, but several second-day competitors. While there was a senior or two that did see some action, there were no regular starters that will be lost to graduation later this year (assuming graduation is held), and there will be as many as 15 key returners from this year’s team that can be back next year, so this is a team to definitely watch next year.

Key returners (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) for 2020-21 (with year in school as they’ll be next year): Gavin Barro (senior, 18-20 at 106, district 4th, 1-2 at regions); Tristan Smith (senior, 3-12 at 113, 0-2 at districts); Wilson Nguyen (senior, 17-18 at 120, district 4th, 2-2 at regions); Jordan Levy (senior, 19-14 at 126, district 3rd, 1-2 at regions); Christian Jackson (sophomore, 9-11 at 132, district 3rd, 1-2 at regions); Carlos Quintanal (senior, 22-13 at 138, district runnerup, 1 match from states); Jakob Hartline (junior, 9-9 at 138, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Gabe Galloza (senior, 12-7 at 145, district runnerup, 1 match from states); Hayden Yanni (senior, 23-13 at 152, district 3rd, 1 match from states); Clint Griffin (junior, 21-12 at 160, district 3rd, 2-2 at regions); Khaled Gardner (junior, 7-13 at 170, 1 match from regions); Ryan Murphy (senior, 33-9 at 182, district champ, 2-2 at regions); Jaquan Whitty (sophomore, 2-14 at 195, 1 match from regions); Nate Bumbalough (junior, 8-20 at 195/220, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Justin Ballard (senior, 13-14 at 285, district runnerup, 0-2 at regions).

Graduation losses (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) from this year’s team: None.

2019-20 MVP: While junior Ryan Murphy‘s season didn’t end the way it started or he’d hoped, Murphy was the Yellow Jackets’ most consistent quality competitor throughout the regular season, and the team’s only district champion. After a loss to a fellow team MVP early in December, Murphy won 14 matches in a row, a streak that began at the Matanzas Duals on the first Saturday of the season and extended past mid-January. Murphy was 5-0 at Deltona Duals and 4-0 at County, with a title at DeLand (where he pinned his way through the bracket and 2-2 performances at both Flagler and Clay. Murphy bonus-pointed through the district tournament and got to Saturday at regions, where he had two pins in his victories.

2020-21 captain: St Augustine was revitalized with the midseason addition of junior Gabe Galloza to the lineup. The Yellow Jackets had some decent depth in the middles and Galloza’s return on January 21st made it even more so. Galloza got off to a slow start, but was one match short of placing at Clay — no easy thing to do — and then was one of three district runners-up the Yellow Jackets had. He then went 3-2 at regions, getting to within just one scoring move from being St Augustine’s lone state qualifier. For three seasons, Galloza has been quietly consistent for the Yellow Jackets; a full year and off-season work should lead to a Kissimmee appearance in March 2021.

Zander Laurin Warrior: Another boost to the middle of the St Augustine lineup came in a little earlier than Galloza, but like Galloza also started in January, when freshman Christian Jackson cemented the Yellow Jackets’ situation at 132. Jackson missed just one tournament from district duals onward, with pins in all of them prior to regions, and he avenged his lone district traditional tournament loss, wrestling back to third. On a team loaded with upperclassmen, Jackson stepped in and shouldered his load well, and the injection of mid-season additional guys really helped the Yellow Jackets in the second half. For that, Christian Jackson is the Zander Laurin Warrior for St Augustine.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia is a few weeks into its offseason! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

North Florida Matmen staff report

ALLEN, TX — There was collegiate wrestling last weekend.

Both the NCWA and NAIA national tournaments were staged last weekend, with four Matmen-area #NextLevel alumni competing.

Leading the way in the NCWA finals was Justin Trinh (Ridgeview ’16), who took third at 133 for Central Florida.

After a bye into the round of 32, Trinh pinned James Madison’s Nikolas Vargas in 6:12 after building a 5-0 lead. Trinh then reached the quarters with an 8-1 decision over Grand Valley State’s Joey Murphy, and took a mid-third period escape to push past Liberty’s Charles Hudson, 3-2, to get to the semis.

In that round, East Carolina’s Wesley Hollingsworth survived two stall hits and used riding time built up in the first two periods to secure a 4-3 win over Trinh.

The consi semis saw Trinh pick up a takedown 20 seconds into sudden victory, after being able to force overtime behind riding time, for a 5-3 win over Big Bend CC’s Cade Cox. Trinh got Hudson in the rematch, parlaying three takedowns — two of them coming in the third period — for a 9-4 decision for third place.

The University of Florida’s Nicholas Vugman (Bartram Trail ’19) was one match short of placing at 141, with a round of 32 tech fall over UNLV’s Andres Garcia (16-0 in 5:36), with a 9-8 loss in the round of 16, with riding time in the third the difference. On the back, Vugman pinned Connecticut’s Derek Vincelette (1:48) and Akron’s Ryan Matthews (6:36) before falling to Penn State-Mont Alto’s Jack Coulston, 14-3.

At 184, Florida A&M’s Isaiah McNealy (Ridgeview ’12) was 1-2 in the tournament, with a front-side loss by fall to Cal Poly WC’s Jared Larsen (4:29) in the round of 32. McNealy then won by forfeit in his first consi match, but then lost by injury-default in the third round of consis to Schreiner’s Connor Wood.

NAIA: At Park City KS, the only local wrestler to compete in the tournament was Keiser’s Xaiver Sampsel (Fleming Island ’16), who took two tough losses as his team’s lone representative in the tournament. Sampsel lost on the front side to West Virginia Tech’s Logan Robertson, 5-4, and then took an 8-6 loss in sudden victory to York (NE)’s Pierce Medeiros in consi round 2.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia is a few weeks into its offseason! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

Hey guys!

The regular season is over. But the work continues. For you and for us.

We are bringing back, for its sixth year, #TheSeason. We didn’t do these first year, but have ever since. It’s something nobody else does. We compile all season records and write a wrapup for each team.

Our second team was randomly selected and Palatka was the team chosen out of 1A-District 5.

PALATKA

You can see everything I have on the Panthers in 2019-20 here –> PALATKA 

Win/loss record: 10-18 in dual meets. Please review the attached document for a summary of the Panthers’ performance in IBT events.

Season in a nutshell: The Panthers began the season at Terry Parker, where they were second out of 12 teams on December 6-7. The following weekend, Palatka struggled a bit more, facing three much bigger programs at Buchholz’s one-day Bobcat Holiday Duals, where the Panthers were 1-4 on the 14th. That was also Palatka’s record at the one-day St Johns River Conference duals tournament on the 18th. After breaking for the holidays, Palatka was 2-3 in the duals portion of Fleming Island’s Keystone Memorial tournament on January 3, coming back the next day to finish T-7th in the IBT portion. The Panthers were just short of qualifying for region duals as a team, taking third in the District 5 tournament, which they hosted. After a couple of weeks off, and three midweek dual wins, Palatka then struggled at Seabreeze’s Hollingsworth Duals, going 0-5 on the day on January 25. But the Panthers closed more solidly, taking second at the 1A-District 5 traditional tournament, then finishing T-12th at the Region 2 tournament at Palm Bay. Palatka sent one wrestler to states after qualifying to the region round every wrestler it sent to districts. The Panthers will have up to seven starters returning in 2020-21, graduating three wrestlers with region (two with prior state) experience.

Key returners (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) for 2020-21 (with year in school as they’ll be next year): Mikade Harvey (sophomore, 28-15 at 106, district champion, 2-2 at regions); Brandon Lewis (junior, 37-17 at 132, district champ, 1 match from states); Delton (DJ) Nealy (senior, 21-13 at 138, district runnerup, 1-2 at regions); Adaris Medina (junior, 17-22 at 145, district 3rd, 0-2 at regions); Brady Weaver (sophomore, 6-25 at 152/160, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Samuel Lafferty (sophomore, 12-25 at 160, district 3rd, 1-2 at regions); Jack Tilton (junior, 22-13, district champ, 1-2 at regions).

Graduation losses (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) from this year’s team: Ontarriyus Reid (37-14 at 120, district runnerup, 1 match from states); Drevon Wallace (39-16 at 126, district champ, region 4th, 0-2 at states); Marlon Williams (22-13 at 285, district runnerup, 1-2 at regions).

2019-20 MVP: As Palatka’s lone state representative this year, senior Drevon Wallace was the clear choice as team MVP this year. Wallace led the team in wins this season (39) in qualifying for states for the second time. He won at Terry Parker and had a 7-3 tournament (both days) at Keystone, where he placed fifth in the IBT. After an opening-round loss there, Wallace won 18 matches in a row in a streak that extended all the way until the second day at Wakulla, where he finished sixth (placed sixth at Clay as well. Wallace was one of Palatka’s district champs, and was the only Panther to get to the medal round, where he placed fourth.

2020-21 captain: It’s going to be a different team with the senior class gone, and the Panthers will have to look to new leadership. While there’s a couple of candidates in play, the one with the most success thus far on the mat will be current sophomore Brandon Lewis, who had 37 wins this past year for Palatka. Lewis had struggles in the first half of the year, even falling below .500 four different times, but after going 10-10 through January 3, he was 27-7 afterward, with an 11-match win streak in January. Lewis was second at Arlington Optimist, 4-1 at Hollingsworth Duals and Wakulla (where he was third), and won a district title for the Panthers this past year.

Zander Laurin Warrior: It’s not always the easiest thing to be a freshman upper-weight wrestler, particularly one that gets pushed into a starting role and needs to pick up points for a short-handed team, but that was freshman Samuel Lafferty‘s role on the team this year. After a 1-6 start, and up a weight to boot, Lafferty would find some footing, but it wasn’t ever the surest footing, as the contested wins were never frequent in coming, but he did pick up pins at Clay and districts as well as earlier on. For meeting the challenge of upper-weight HS varsity wrestling, Samuel Lafferty is the Zander Laurin Warrior for Palatka.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia is a few weeks into its offseason! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

Hey guys!

The regular season is over. But the work continues. For you and for us.

We are bringing back, for its sixth year, #TheSeason. We didn’t do these first year, but have ever since. It’s something nobody else does. We compile all season records and write a wrapup for each team.

We started the work on this one actually between regions and states last week.

ATLANTIC COAST

You can see everything I have on the Stingrays in 2019-20 here –>  ATLANTIC COAST

Win/loss record: 3-14 in dual meets. Please review the attached document for a summary of the Stingrays’ performance in IBT events.

Season in a nutshell: Atlantic Coast began the year with wins in its first two rounds of competition at the North Florida Duals, where the Stingrays were 2-3, on December 7. A week later, at Fernandina Beach’s Dual in the Dunes, Atlantic Coast was eighth out of 10 teams, with their third dual win there. The Stingrays were 0-2 at the 3A-District 1 dual team tournament on January 8, placing 13th at the Joe Bees Memorial Battle of the Border later that weekend. In closing out the month, Atlantic Coast was 10th at Gateway; the Stingrays had just one midweek dual between Gateway and districts, where they did not advance any wrestlers to regions. Atlantic Coast has five returning starters that could be back next year and graduates just one senior that had 15 matches or post-season experience.

Key returners (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) for 2020-21 (with year in school as they’ll be next year): Eric Harper (senior, 17-10 at 120, 1 match from regions); Nick Shay (senior, 9-13 at 126, 1 match from regions); Joel Dudley (junior, 14-12 at 138, 0-2 at districts); Parsa Mokhlesabadi (junior, 6-11 at 145, 0-2 at districts); John Johnson (11-12 at 195, 1 match from regions).

Graduation losses (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) from this year’s team: Erik Llolli (1-12 at 132, 1 match from regions).

2019-20: Junior Eric Harper led the team in victories in 2019-20 (17), which included a seven-match run of wins between North Florida Duals and Dual in the Dunes, a run that was halted by a Georgia state qualifier. Harper was third at Gateway, with two bonus-point decisions there, and was the only Atlantic Coast wrestler to win a contested match at the district tournament. He’s got potential to represent the Stingrays in the region tournament as a senior.

2020-21 captain: Sophomore Joel Dudley was the only other wrestler besides Harper that had a better-than-.500 record at season’s end. Dudley had 4-1 tournaments at North Florida Duals and Dual in the Dunes, and took a pair of falls at Gateway. As a two-year starter for the Stingrays, Dudley will be counted on to help build this still very young, very fledgling program.

Zander Laurin Warrior: As a first-year senior that struggled to find success in contested matches, but yet did not leave the team during the course of the season, the Stingrays’ Erik Llolli is just the kind of kid I look for in this nomination. Llolli had just one win in matches that were reported to me or to Track (which was all of them), and only had his hand raised once in those matches — a forfeit win in mid-December. But he stayed with the team, and for that stick-to-it-iveness, even though he went up to 132 from mid-January onward, Erik Llolli is the Zander Laurin Warrior for Atlantic Coast.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia is a few weeks into its offseason! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

By SHANNON HEATON
North Florida Matmen

KISSIMMEE — It’s Tuesday. The 2020-21 season began two days ago.

If Ridgeview junior Matthew Rodriquez had had his way, he might have tried to find a mat an hour or two after receiving his 1A state runnerup medal at Silver Spurs Arena Saturday night and gotten in the first workout of his senior season.

Of the 58 area wrestlers in competition at last weekend’s 1A tournament, Rodriquez was the only one that got to everyone’s goal of Saturday night.

But going up against the behemoth program that is Lake Highland Prep, the nation’s best competition that prepares the Highlanders during the regular season, even a wrestler of Rodriquez’s singular talent — he committed to Lehigh during the regular season — can find himself coming up short.

And that was how things stood after Rodriquez took his first loss of the season Saturday night, falling 14-6 to the Highlanders’ Danny Nini in a match that had its share of contentiousness.

“I didn’t take advantage of the chances I had, It wasn’t anything hard,” Rodriquez said. “I got to his legs pretty easily. He did some things better than me in the course of the match, but overall he wasn’t better.”

Between the semis and final, Rodriquez just relaxed, went over the game plan — like the other 83 kids in Florida that took part in the state finals.

“Just dealing with it,” Rodriquez said of the loss. “A lot of kids with good records don’t always know how to deal with it (a loss). Maybe they pinned their way through the season and never experienced it.

“I lost. I’ll just come back next year.”

And next season starts? “Tomorrow.”

While Rodriquez fell just short individually, Wakulla found itself first among 1A public schools and fifth overall in the two-day tournament. While the War Eagles did set a school record for placers with five on Saturday, coach William Pafford felt wistful about the whole situation.

“We all say it, but it’s a rollercoaster. You’re holding one kid up because he lost and then right away there’s a kid the next mat over needing to go.

“The one thing I’m left with…Matthew Owen, two years ago he’s our only placer. This year, we get five and he doesn’t place. You hold him and then run over to Ray (Hatchman) and he gets one of the biggest wins of his career. Never beat Luke (Clay’s Luke Davis) before. And Matthew didn’t want to be consoled. He wanted instead to congratulate Ray.

“People wonder why we give up 26 Saturdays a year for this. It’s those moments. Knowing that my son will grow up to be like one of these kids. It’s heartbreaking, watching all these kids grow up. All of them…the Clay kids…Florida High…all these kids.”

Clay was 12th with 38 points, while Raines wass 13th (35). Florida High tied for 18th, with 26 points, while University Christian was 22nd (22 points) and Ridgeview 24th (21).

Pedro Menendez was 28th, with 12 points, while West Nassau was T-30th (10), Bolles 33rd (nine), Marianna & Yulee each T-34th (eight), Godby T-40th (four); Atlantic, Rutherford & Suwannee T-48th (three); Bishop Kenny T-53rd (one) and then Arnold, Fernandina Beach, Palatka and South Walton all were T-56th.

Lake Highland Prep cruised to another defense of its team title, with 289.5 points, four more than the combined total of its top two chasers in Somerset Academy (173) and American Heritage-Delray (112.5). Cardinal Gibbons, with 111.5 points for fourth, rounded out the top five.

Below follows a summary of the tournament:

106
Championship: Lake Highland Prep eighth-grader Ethan Rivera (24-1) had a contested win of each stripe (pin/tech/decision/major), with Saturday wins over Cardinal Gibbons freshman Nicolas Yancey (4-1) in the semis and then a rematch of the Region 2 final, with Rivera winning this time by an 11-1 count over Palm Bay junior Tyler Perrow. Perrow (57-4) reached the final behind two bonus-point wins and a 1-0 semifinal win over Jensen Beach freshman Jewell Williams.
3rd place: Williams (57-10) bounced back in the consis, first taking a 19-7 major over University Christian 7th-grader Jayce Paridon in the semis and avenging his Region 4 loss to Yancey (37-6) with a 9-4 decision for third place.
5th place: Paridon (50-12) won three of four matches in the consis, with Saturday wins in the blood round (3-0) over Tampa Prep’s Gavin Nolan and then a 6-0 shutout over Coral Springs Charter sophomore Payton Vargas (42-19) for fifth.

113
Championship: Merritt Island junior Elijah Lusk (50-2) had a pin and decision on both days of the tournament, with Saturday wins over Jensen Beach’s Jonny Dobbs (fall in 1:55) in the semis, and in the championship match over Cardinal Gibbons junior Tyler Cabral, where Lusk took a 5-2 win. Cabral (43-3) reached the final behind a tech fall and two pins, the second of those in the semis (4:35) over University Christian freshman Egan Gustilo.
3rd place: After an 8-1 loss to Lusk in the quarters, Raines sophomore DaQuan King (57-5) won four times in the consis, with Saturday wins over McKeel Academy’s Guy Yodock (13-5) in the blood round, Gustilo (3-2) in the consi semis and 6-5 in the medal match over Dobbs (47-12).
5th place: After a pair of one-point losses earlier in the day, Gustilo (54-8) went out on a winning note, falling Space Coast sophomore Anthony Edwards (45-13) in 3:56 in the medal match.

120
Championship: Tampa Prep freshman Ethan Mojena completed an undefeated season with three bonus-point wins and decision to run his record to 35-0, with a 12-1 Saturday major in the semis over Somerset Academy junior Skyler Caban and an 8-7 decision in the championship match over Lake Highland freshman David McClelland. McClelland (20-13) max-pointed through all preliminary rounds, including an injury-default win over Raines senior Kyle Hopkins in the semis. Hopkins (43-8) did not engage in further competition in the tournament.
3rd place: Caban (15-2) pinned his way back to third after the loss to Mojena, with falls over Jensen Beach freshman Duke Byfield (1:34) in the consi semis and again in the third place match over Wakulla junior Raymond Hatchman (4:27).
5th place: Byfield (47-17) had three wins in four consi rounds, with Saturday victories in the blood round over Am Heritage-Delray’s Andrew DeSola (fall in 2:32) and a medical forfeit over Hopkins for fifth.
Additional local note: Hatchman (52-14) won twice earlier in the day to get to the third-place match and Caban, pinning Clay’s Luke Davis (2:14) to punch his podium ticket, then winning by medical forfeit over Hopkins in the consi semis.

126
Semis: Nini (40-7) had two Friday bonus-point wins, then took an 8-1 decision on Saturday in the semis over Tampa Prep senior Alan Morano. Rodriquez (66-1) didn’t give up a contested point prior to the final, with a pin and decision on Friday, then a 12-0 Saturday semi major over Am Heritage-Delray sophomore Rafael Romero.
3rd place: Morano (30-7) came back from the loss to Nini with two consi-side wins, downing Palm Bay junior Rocco Senia, 7-1, in the semis, then falling Romero (38-12) in 41 seconds for third place.
5th place: Senia won three of four on the consi side of the bracket, with Saturday wins over Jensen Beach’s Dylan Fox (7-3) in the blood round and over Florida High senior Tyler Reeve by injury-default in the medal round.
Additional local note: Reeve won once to get to the podium on Saturday, with a 9-8 win over Somerset Academy’s Chase Gillis to secure his podium space. He then fell, 11-2, in the consi semis, to Romero.

132
Championship: Somerset Academy 7th-grader Bas Diaz (42-6) pinned his way onto the podium, then powered through a pair of decisions on Saturday, with a 2-1 semifinal win over Tampa Prep senior Collin Mojena and then a 10-5 win in the championship match over Cardinal Gibbons senior Alejandro Mas in the final. Mas (42-3) had a fall and decision on Friday, with a 17-3 major in the semis over Mater Lakes Academy senior Orestes Ferrer.
3rd place: Mojena (38-7) pitched two shutouts in the consis after the loss to Diaz, holding down Lake Highland junior William Kennedy, 5-0, in the semis, then riding out Ferrer (42-11), 1-0, in the third-place match.
5th place: Kennedy (17-10) won three of four in the consis, with Saturday wins over Wakulla senior Matthew Owen (54-5; pin in 2:08) and a second fall in 2:49 in the medal round over Cocoa Beach junior Michael Watson (42-11).

138
Championship: Lake Highland senior Chris Rivera (48-6) pinned his way through the tournament, with one exception, in the match of the tournament, where he pushed past Am Heritage-Delray senior Frankie Tal Shahar, 2-1, in the semis on Saturday morning. Rivera then falled Sarasota Military senior Mason Marchbank in 1:21 for the title. Marchbank (59-3) had a pin and decision on Friday, falling Cardinal Gibbons senior John James Yancey in 3:07 in the semis.
3rd place: Tal Shahar (49-1) dominated his two consi-side matches, pinning Somerset Academy senior Darian Diaz (3:49) in the semis, then teching Yancey (33-6), 18-3 in 4:19, for third.
5th place: Diaz won three of four in the consis to take fifth, with Saturday wins over Palm Bay’s Braden Baxter (3-2 in the blood round) and over Space Coast senior Michael Squires (43-7), 5-3, in the medal round.

145
Championship: Lake Highland senior Justin Rivera (45-4) bonus-pointed his way to the podium on Friday, with decisions on Saturday over Cardinal Gibbons sophomore Johnathan Ley (9-3) in the semis and then powering past Mater Lakes Academy senior Eric Temes, 3-2, for the championship. Temes (57-5) had a decision and major, coming back on Friday with a 16-0 tech (4:59) over Wakulla senior Noah Wilson.
3rd place: Ley (28-1) had two six-minute wins in the consis to wrestle back for third, with an 11-6 consi-semi victory over Coral Beach junior James Clark-Herndon, then majoring Wilson, 10-2, for third place.
5th place: Clark-Herndon (53-11) won three of four in the consis, with an 8-4 blood-round win over Jensen Beach’s Tehran Piza and a 3-0 shutout over former Nease and current Palm Bay junior Jack Dinberg (39-9), 3-0, in the medal round.
Additional local note: After the loss to Temes, Wilson (55-5) advanced to the third-place match with an 8-2 win over Dinberg.

152
Championship: Lake Highland senior Noah Castillo (38-4) bonus-pointed his way to the title match, with a 14-5 major in the semis on Saturday over Coral Springs Charter junior Alek Chitty, then took an 8-1 win in the final over Somerset Academy junior Darian Estevez. Estevez (49-6) had a pin and decision on Friday, then came back with a fall in the semis on Saturday over Wakulla senior Chase Roberts (5:48).
3rd place: After a overtime loss in the quarters on Friday to Chitty, Clay junior Cale Hoskinson (51-7) won four matches on the back to wrestle all the way back to third, with Saturday victories over Hernando’s Billy Fetzner (6-2 in the blood round), Roberts (10-0 in the consi semis) and found a takedown in sudden victory to turn back Bishop Moore junior Gavin Wheeler (47-12), 6-4, for third.
5th place: Chitty (55-6) would find his win Saturday, but it wouldn’t come until the medal round, where he pinned Roberts (2:56).

160
Championship: Carrollwood Day sophomore Jonathan Conrad (47-4) needed just 2:31 to make podium, then shut out his two Saturday opponents, with a 1-0 semifinal win over Lake Highland Prep senior Dominic Isola, then a 7-0 decision in the title match over Hernando junior Josh Pritz. Pritz (34-7) had a fall and two decisions to get to the final, with a 3-1 win in the semis over Coral Springs Charter junior Terrell Taylor.
3rd place: Isola (42-8) came back for third behind a 14-2 major in the consi semis over West Nassau senior Requan Works, then turned back Taylor (50-6), 5-1, in the bronze-medal match.
5th place: After a 10-4 loss to Isola in the quarters, Somerset Academy senior Caleb Casas (48-13) won three of four on the back, with a 4-3 blood-round win over Am Heritage-Delray’s Joseph Nicolosi, then later winning by injury default in the medal match over Works.
Additional local note: After losing to Nicolosi in the first round, Works (26-5) won three matches in the consis to punch his podium ticket, with a 13-9 blood-round win on Saturday over Wakulla junoir Cole Baggett (57-10).

170
Championship: Lake Highland Prep junior Bailey Flanagan bonus-pointed his way onto the podium Friday, with a pin and major, then took two decisions on Saturday, with a 5-3 Saturday semifinal win over Am Heritage-Delray senior Shane Cannon, followed by a 5-0 victory over Lemon Bay sophomore Lance Schyck in the championship match. Schyck (43-1), a 2019 state champ, had two pins on Friday and advanced to the final with an overtime 4-1 win over Raines junior Raynarde Thomas.
3rd place: Cannon (49-9) took two wins in the consis to wrestle back to third, with a 4-2 consi-semi win over Pedro Menendez junior Connor Spossey, then a fall in 4 minutes for third over Thomas.
5th place: Spossey (48-7) rebounded from a quarterfinal loss by fall to Schyck, with three wins in four on the consi side, including Saturday wins over Villages’ Ethan Hatcher (17-5 in the blood round) and then an 8-2 decision in the medal round over Wakulla sophomore Jayvon Brown.
Additional local notes: Brown came back from a 8-0 loss to Flanagan with two consi-side wins, including a Saturday double-overtime decision over Miami Edison’s Carl Henry Pierre, 4-3, that secured his podium place. Thomas then won by injury default in the consi semis over Brown.

182
Championship: Somerset Academy junior Sean Concepcion pinned his way onto the podium; on Saturday, Concepcion had two wins to win the title, with a 3-1 sudden-victory decision in the semis over Lake Highland senior Hunter Brinkman, then a 7-2 win in the final over Citrus junior Blake Coleman. Coleman (41-5) reached the final with an injury-default win and decision on Friday, turning back Palm Bay senior Matthew Lewis, 7-2, in the semis.
3rd place: Brinkman (36-10) didn’t give up a point in the consis, falling Admiral Farragut seventh-grader Payton Cramer (:47) in the semis, then shutting out Lewis (57-12), 7-0, for third place in a rematch of the Region 2 final.
5th place: Jensen Beach senior Tom Fehling (24-7) won four of five matches on the back after a first-round injury-default loss to Coleman, with Saturday wins over Key West’s Craig Silimon (fall in 3:56) in the blood round and over Cramer (8-3 in the post-season), 7-3, for fifth.
Additional local note: After losing by fall in the quarters to Lewis, Cramer won twice by fall to reach the podium, with a blood-round fall on Saturday over Bolles junior Ethan Asbury (23-11) in 2:37.

195
Championship: After a max-point win and decision on Friday, Lake Highland Prep senior Easton Tobia (31-9) rallied for two more win on Saturday, and the title as well, with a fall in the semis over Clearwater Central Catholic senior Tyler Barnett (2:29). Tobia then took an 8-7 sudden-victory decision in the championship over Am Heritage-Delray sophomore Mikey Tal Shahar (9-2 in the post-season). Tal Shahar had two pins in 2:04 to get to the semis, with a 16-3 Saturday major over Wakulla senior John Trevor Hinsey in that round.
3rd place: Somerset Academy senior Daniel Miranda (54-8), who’d fallen 6-3 to Tobia, won four matches on the back to wrestle back to third, with Saturday wins over Key West’s Ricardo Camay (1-0 in the blood round), over Hinsey (8-1 in the consi semis), and by fall in 1:41 in the third-place match over Florida High senior Marcus Haigler.
5th place: Hinsey (55-5) would find a win on Saturday, taking a 50-second fall over Barnett (47-13) in his final high school match.
Additional local note: After losing by fall to Miranda in the first round, Haigler nearly duplicated the run of his older brother Will, with four wins on the back to get back to the third-place match. That run included Saturday wins over Merritt Island’s Daylyn Randolph (2-2 rideout in the ultimate tiebreaker) in the blood round and over Barnett (escape in the ultimate tiebreaker for a 3-2 decision) in the consi semis.

220
Championship: Lake Highland Prep senior Matthew Kaplan (44-7) bonus-pointed his way to the final, with two pins and a major, including a 43-second fall over Region 2 rival and First Academy senior Jacob Forbes in the semis, going on to take a 6-3 win over Somerset Academy senior Nicholas Benton in the final. Benton (63-3) also bonus-pointed to the final, with two Friday pins and a 15-5 major over Clay sophomore Garrett Tyre.
3rd place: After falling, 9-0, in the quarters to Kaplan, Am Heritage-Delray sophomore Chase Thompson (45-4) won four matches on the back to wrestle back for third, including Saturday wins over Miami Northwestern’s Jonathan Vil (10-6) in the blood round, over Tyre (1-0) in the consi semis and over Hernando senior Qwenton Coney (40-9), 3-1, in the bronze-medal match.
5th place: Tyre (47-16) would get a win on Saturday in the medal round, falling Forbes (32-11) in 4:06 for fifth.

285
Championship: Aside from one match, Zephyrhills Christian senior Malik Jones pinned his way through the draw in keeping an unbeaten season (34-0), with two Friday pins. But, in the semi, Jones had to rally from two takedowns secured by Raines senior Jamon Goodwine, coming back in double-overtime, 5-4. Jones then falled Key West senior Patrick Barnett in 6 minutes for the title. Barnett (32-7) had a pin and decision on Friday, coming back with a Saturday semifinal pin over Cardinal Gibbons junior Jertavis Black (1:32).
3rd place: After a 7-3 quarterfinal loss to Barnett on Friday, Rockledge senior Jordan Love (67-3) won four matches on the back to rally back to third, with Saturday pins over Palm Bay’s Carlos Gerardino (:53) in the blood round and Goodwine (3:59) in the consi semis, followed by a 3-0 decision in the third-place match over Black (38-8).
5th place: After a 3-1 loss to Goodwine in the quarters, Mater Lakes Academy sophomore Ethan Vergara would gain — a little — revenge, with wins in three of four consi-side matches, with Saturday wins over Godby’s Jordan Yarbrough (21-5; 3-1) in the blood round, and an injury-default win over Goodwine (48-5) in the fifth-place match.

Complete brackets can be found HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia has already begun it’s off-season! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen

I know you’re all waiting for the 1A story to come out. Believe me, I’m fixing to write it and post it tonight.

But I saw something about this on the ‘book Monday and wanted to bring this to your attention immediately, because this matters to me.

On Monday, the FHSAA released its list of academic team champions for the winter sports season. Teams had to make an an average team GPA, across all members of the team, of 3.000 or better.

Here are the area wrestling teams that were listed on it:

3A

The top team in the coverage area was West Port, which stood first and alone in District 2, second in Region 1 and 15th overall, with an average GPA of 3.166.

Fleming Island stood alone among District 1 teams to make the list. The Golden Eagles were 19th with a combined team GPA of 3.119.

2A

Seven teams made the list from the coverage area.

Tops among the 2A group of area teams was Gainesville, with a GPA of 3.279. The Hurricanes ranked fifth on the 2A list statewide and first in District 2/Region 1. The top GPA in the state for 2A was 3.505.

Chiles was just behind the Hurricanes in sixth, with a GPA of 3.235.

Gulf Breeze was seventh statewide and tops in District 1, with a GPA of 3.214.

Next up was Stanton Prep in Jacksonville, eighth statewide and tops in the Gateway Conference and District 3, with a team GPA of 3.210.

Lincoln was the third team out of District 2 to make the list, 10th statewide, with a GPA of 3.175.

Seabreeze was tops in District 4, 13th statewide, with a team GPA of 3.111.

The final team to qualify in was Tate, with an overall GPA of 3.005, good for 22nd statewide in 2A.

1A

Six area teams made the list in 1A, with the area’s top GPA coming from Fernandina Beach, which edged out Keystone Heights by just 0.011 for fifth statewide in 1A. The top GPA in the state also came out of 1A, with Berkeley Prep posting an average of 3.611.

The Pirates finished with an overall GPA of 3.444 to lead 1A-District 3 (which had four of the six area teams to make the list), Region 1, and the coverage area as a whole.

In finishing sixth statewide, and tops in District 5/Region 2, the Indians had a GPA of 3.433.

Bishop Snyder was next on the list, claiming 14th statewide and tops among District 4 teams with a GPA of 3.212.

Bishop Kenny was second in District 3 and 18th statewide, with a team GPA of 3.144.

West Nassau took third in District 3 and 21st statewide, with an overall GPA of 3.108.

Yulee was 26th among 1A teams statewide and fourth in District 3, completing our area list with an average GPA of 3.020.

You can see the complete list of winter-sport academic team champions, for all winter sports (sports are listed in alphabetic order, so wrestling is the last sport on the list), HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen.

Georgia has already begun it’s off-season! Check out the latest on our affiliated site at http://sgamatmen.wordpress.com

Please support our independent journalism!

We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6
Or you can use our existing site here: https://www.gofundme.com/north-florida-matmen